


cross your sorry heart and hope to die for me

by peachmaisie



Category: Daredevil (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - CEO, Eventual Smut, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-05
Updated: 2019-01-05
Packaged: 2019-10-04 22:41:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17313185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peachmaisie/pseuds/peachmaisie
Summary: There wasn't much about Elektra Natchios to learn, Karen had spent hours digging around online and talking with sources but she seemed surprisingly normal in comparison to her wealth-drunk father. She'd attended Columbia University, seemingly vanished off the map for a few years before turning up in London of all places. With a family so wealthy she had never worked a day in her life, spent most of her time at fundraisers and dinner parties of other wealthy folk but when she wasn't at those, the paper trail ended and it was impossible to know where she had been.Unlike her father, Karen didn't believe that Elektra was involved with Fisk's crime family. There was something going on with her but it was separate, a totally different story and that was how she'd managed to convince Ellison that there was a mystery worth following. As he tended to do with the ideas of Karen's that would probably lead to something bad, dangerous or downright stupid, he gave the story to someone else. The promise of dinner and drinks with said newbie got her the story back, plus free alcohol later on.





	cross your sorry heart and hope to die for me

Karen was no stranger to waiting for a story to emerge. In the early days of her journalism career, she'd wanted to rush everything, seek out every source she could without a sense of shame for her desperation but as the years had gone on it had become easier to be patient. The best stories took time to develop, they were like flowers closed off until spring had arrived and luckily for her, the seasons were starting to shift.

That being said, it had taken a lot of begging to get where she was now, waiting outside the office of arguably the most influential woman in the entirety of the city. Roxxon wasn't often open to reporters, they kept their business quiet but that only made people more curious about their doings, the same went for Karen. At first, the job had been given to some newbie, Ellison's way of breaking him in she supposed but it wouldn't work, not with a story like this.

The story? Roxxon's CEO Hugo Natchios had been arrested after being under surveillance for months, it turned out that he had ties with Wilson Fisk and a few tugs on those strings and the whole crime syndicate in New York had tumbled down. At first, everyone had been so busy grasping at whatever piece of the story of the century they could get that no one paid that much attention when Roxxon got a new chief executive. Karen though, she knew where to look.

People were getting fired left and right, folks that had spent years upon years at that business were now left in the dust. Along with that, new names were turning up out of the blue and surprising ones at that. The company was taking a dramatic shift that no one expected and surely someone had to realise that maybe this was because it had been taken over by none other than Hugo's daughter, per his demand years ago.

There wasn't much about Elektra Natchios to learn, Karen had spent hours digging around online and talking with sources but she seemed surprisingly normal in comparison to her wealth-drunk father. She'd attended Columbia University, seemingly vanished off the map for a few years before turning up in London of all places. With a family so wealthy she had never worked a day in her life, spent most of her time at fundraisers and dinner parties of other wealthy folk but when she wasn't at those, the paper trail ended and it was impossible to know where she had been.

Unlike her father, Karen didn't believe that Elektra was involved with Fisk's crime family. There was something going on with her but it was separate, a totally different story and that was how she'd managed to convince Ellison that there was a mystery worth following. As he tended to do with the ideas of Karen's that would probably lead to something bad, dangerous or downright stupid, he gave the story to someone else. The promise of dinner and drinks with said newbie got her the story back however, plus free alcohol later on.

This all lead to the various phone calls with employees of Roxxon who were insistent on wasting her time. If Karen had to listen to Matt Murdock tell her one more time that "Miss Natchios is still very busy at this moment" then she would have thrown her phone out of the window and onto the busy streets of Hell's Kitchen. Everyone was busy, the whole city was in havoc, the law and criminals alike trying to pull themselves back together after corruption and deceit and yet she'd found plenty of people willing to talk about Wilson Fisk now he was back behind bars.

It took patience and a few more strongly worded emails over time explaining how it would be in their best interest to have their situation put out into the world voluntarily before rumors started to spread. It was a few months after the initial arrest of Hugo Natchios that she finally got an offer to come in and have a chat, on the condition that the mentions of the criminal activity of their previous CEO would be non-existent. Karen promised, of course.

The reception area outside of Elektra Natchios' office was a white paradise, clean and sterile looking with newly installed glass doors and bright almost hospital looking lighting. It wasn't a warm place, essentially, sitting there on one of the small cream couches brought Karen no comfort and she scribbled something about the decor in her notebook. It was as she was writing that a door opened and out walked a handsome man around her age, sporting a pair of red sunglasses and a cane sweeping out in front of him.

Karen immediately recognised him as Matt Murdock, the simply infuriating man she'd spoken with many times on the phone. He was a new addition to the Roxxon Corporation, hand picked by Elektra to come join her along with Franklin Nelson, the three of them having all previously attended Columbia University. There was plenty about him online, about his father specifically and the accident that had left him blind.

She went to smile politely at him before realising it was pointless, Matt walked past her without any inclination she was even there and Karen found herself almost blushing. Instead, she turned to peer through the glass revealing the inside of Elektra's office, it too looked almost medical in its cleanliness and no personal details were in sight. Karen leaned back against the couch to see Elektra, she stood facing towards the desk with one hand rubbing around her right wrist; she scribbled that detail down too.

It was only when Elektra turned and begun to walk towards the door that Karen stood up, smoothing down her skirt from where it had ridden up her thighs. The door opened and Elektra took a step through it before turning her gaze to Karen. There was a brief pause where she eyed her up, dragging her eyes from head to toe in a matter of seconds before meeting Karen's eyes once more.

"Miss Page, do come in," Elektra said with an accent Karen couldn't quite place, one that wasn't the same as her father at least. Giving nothing but a small smile, Karen obliged and followed Elektra back into her office, the sound of their respective heels echoing around the room. "I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long."

"I'm just glad you made time for me," Karen replied while glancing around the office, trying to find any personality of Elektra's on display but only being met with disappointment. There was some art on the wall, minimalist and in theme with the white and light blue colour scheme the whole building had seemed to shift to. She sat down in front of Elektra's desk, watching as she rounded it like a vulture before sitting opposite.

Karen was no stranger to Elektra's appearance, there were countless photographs of her online in all her beautiful glory but seeing her in person was different. She was still effortless beautiful but intimidating, the way she held herself with a strong posture and the dark circles beneath her eyes almost completely covered by concealer, but not enough. She was human instead of a merely a pretty face on a screen and humans, as Karen had come to learn, were far more dangerous than anyone wanted to admit.

"You were insistent." Elektra leaned back in her chair, her father's chair to be specific, Karen recognised it from photos. It was strange how she had made the effort to change so much of the interior decoration in what Karen assumed was a disassociation from her father's work, yet decide to keep his chair. "You work for the Bulletin, correct?"

"I do," After pulling her notepad and pen from her bag, Karen crossed her legs and too leaned back in her seat. She had done this more times than she could count, she knew the best ways to get the answers to her questions. "You're a reader?"

The large window behind Elektra allowed for a perfect view of the city, all the towering buildings beside them and the people like ants hurrying around the city with jobs needing to be done and time rushing past them. It was quite the view, Karen could imagine that looking out on the city like this every day could make a person feel powerful, like they were the King planning out the fate of their kingdom. Royalty didn't last very long in Hell's Kitchen, as it turned out.

"What is it you're planning on writing?" Elektra avoided Karen's question completely, she intertwined her perfectly manicured fingers together and waited patiently for an answer she knew she wouldn't get on the first go. When the only one she got was Karen's exasperated laugh, she continued on. "As I said, you were very insistent. There must be a story you have in mind, involving Roxxon?"

Karen watched Elektra's face slowly break out into a smile, all white teeth, and cherry red lips. She wondered what she was discussing with Matt Murdock, whether it was business or personal— she tucked the thought away to bring up later before giving her own sweet smile.

"Why else would I be here?" She asked, voice as innocent as she could manage while making sure Elektra knew she could play this game. "I was asked not to mention your father's criminal activity, so I'll keep the conversation away from that, okay?" Elektra's face twitched and her smile slowly faded, amusement however still clinging to her features. She gave a small nod and her fingers tightened around each other, digging her nails ever so tightly into her own skin.  
  
Elektra stood out boldly against the sterile blandness of the room, her dark hair and rich colours of clothing continuously brought Karen's eyes back to her whenever she found herself wanting to wander. Perhaps that was the reason for the decor change, Elektra wanted to be the main attraction, though that didn't make sense with the air of secrecy Roxxon had been holding onto since the CEO switch. Karen jotted her theory down with little illegibility before asking her first real question.

"Roxxon is a multi-million dollar company, focused around the distribution of oil, was it at all your intention to take over the place?" Karen asked while flipping through her notebook, finding a fresh page to write on while allowing Elektra time to ponder the question.

"No." After a few seconds of silence, Elektra spoke and Karen resisted the urge to tilt her head in curiosity. It wasn't an unexpected answer, but one she had been waiting for. "In fact, I rather didn't care for the business side of things at all. I had a different plan for my life but now," she gestured around her, to all the wide empty space surrounding them, "this became the right decision for me to make."

"So, you chose to step up? You weren't asked to?" Karen asked, eyes firmly on Elektra while writing down her answer in what to many would look like a series of curly lines.

The interview had been going on for mere minutes and Elektra already looked bored, nails digging harder into her skin till her knuckles turned white, then she finally unclenched them. She stood up from her chair and walked around the desk, she walked straight past Karen and to a drink cart sitting beside a barely decorated bookshelf. As she poured herself a drink, she answered again.

"It had been suggested, a while ago. Long before any of the recent news came to light." Karen knew what Elektra was doing, dancing around the subject of her father while knowing that Karen had promised not to bring up the topic herself. It was a tease, a feather dangled in front of the cat before being yanked away. "But yes, it was all my decision."

"And why is that?" Karen looked over her shoulder and watched as Elektra slowly walked back to the desk, brushing close enough to Karen's chair that she caught a whiff of her perfume. It was expensive, clearly, something musky but also soft and feminine. Clearing her throat and her mind of the thought, Karen chewed the inside of her lip and fiddled with the spiral binding of her notepad.

Elektra took a long sip of her whiskey, Karen thought it was a little early for a drink but said nothing, especially when she was considering a beer when she got back home. After sliding the half-empty glass onto her desk, Elektra wiped the lipstick staining her glass with the pad of her thumb and looked to the journalist across from her.

"Business should be kept within the family. I can't say seeing someone's greasy fingers all over my father's work would have filled me with joy. He worked hard, I respect that." She explained with little enjoyment in the subject, Karen, however, wrote it down with clear interest. Elektra went to continue but was cut off by Karen, who didn't apologize.

"Speaking of," Karen waited till she'd finished writing before looking up to meet Elektra's gaze, "you've been noted as hiring a handful of new staff. I noticed the names Matt Murdock and Franklin Nelson, from your university days?"

The mention of the two men had Elektra smiling, and a genuine one at that. So she did have a soft spot, Karen thought to herself. Elektra's fingers continued to trace the rim of her glass, a slow and steady movement she found herself drawn to watch before an answer was given and had her jerking back to reality.

"Lawyers," Elektra stated as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "It seemed appropriate with everything going on. Don't you think?" Karen gave a slow nod and Elektra smiled, then picking her glass up once more to down the rest of the whiskey. "They were looking into starting their own firm but with the state of the city at the moment I thought it best they come work for me, somewhere stable."

"Roxxon is stable? Right now?" Karen gave her first genuine smile of the interview, even though it was at Elektra's expense. Despite the outburst, Elektra continued to sit still, calm as ever. She couldn't say she had been expecting any different from her, this whole thing had been months in the making and she'd had time to prepare, Karen was simply working out how to crack that wall.

"Oil is oil, and I am not my father. Business has been going as planned with only his hiccup disturbing us." Elektra explained with her teeth bared in what was meant to be a smile but felt more to Karen like a warning, that she would bite if pushed anymore. Karen had never been good at backing away though, she liked the push.

"Do you mind if I ask you some personal questions now, Miss Natchios?" She leaned forward in her chair, uncrossed her legs and didn't miss the flicker of Elektra's eyes as they glanced down, even if only for a second. There was no blushing that followed, no apologies, just Elektra studying Karen for all she was worth.

"Elektra." She said a second later, whatever sweetness she had held in her voice now gone. Her previous statements might not have been lies but she wasn't sugarcoating anything anymore, she sounded amused almost, as though Karen didn't know what she was getting herself into. "By all means."

"What did you do exactly, before all this?" Karen asked. "From my understanding, you haven't worked a day in your life. Daddy's money was good and all so I can't blame you, but where have you been?"

Elektra's face was blank for a moment, jaw tensing ever so slightly so that someone not as observant as Karen wouldn't have noticed. Then, she breathed out a laugh and too leaned forward in her chair, resting one arm across the spotless glass desk separating them.

"Curious little mouse, aren't you?" She said with the same breathy tone, the one that had Karen biting the inside of her cheek once more. "I've been all over, so much to see and do. I've never been all that keen on staying in one place for too long." Elektra paused, eyed Karen up and down shameless once more before asking, "How about you, Miss Page? How long has it been since you returned home?"

The question took her off guard, how could it not? Karen felt the heat from her face begin to drain, leaving her cold and with her stomach turning. Many people didn't like their hometowns, it was half the reason New York was so packed every second of the day; where else would people run?

Karen wondered if that was what Matt Murdock was doing in Elektra's office, if that had been discussing her beforehand in case she overstepped the line. What had he found? The whole thing had been kept under wraps, one newspaper article about the incident but that was it and she wasn't even mentioned— Elektra was smiling like the cat who caught the mouse and before Karen let her brain run free, she gave a small cough and tightened her grip on the notebook.

"Ten years." She replied, doing her best to smile and not let Elektra's insinuations phase her. Or rather, let her know they had. "I like New York. I've grown attached to it, filth and all." Elektra let out another laugh, short and soft and lighting up her face. It was as she gave a small hum of agreement that there was a gentle knock on the glass behind them, Karen whipped around to see another blonde standing there, pretty and holding a series of files strung together in her arms.

"I'm afraid that's all the time I have, there's other business to attend to." And with that, Elektra stood up from her desk, waving the woman away before turning her attention back to Karen. The sweetness in her voice was back, the tone that made it sound as though she wanted to give Karen what she had come here for. Karen knew the opposite was true, that she was glad for the whole thing to be over. But now Karen had gotten a taste, the whole meal was still waiting to be uncovered.

"Perhaps we can organize another meeting?" Karen suggested as she stood up, her legs willing her to fall over but she refused. She sorted out her skirt once more before offering her hand out for Elektra to shake, not the sort of thing she usually did but it seemed appropriate. "I still have so much more to ask you."

Elektra let Karen's extended hand hover for a few seconds before she reached out and held it. Her hand was much smaller in comparison, they held a significant height difference even with heels but their hands said it all. Karen's fingertips were cold in comparison to Elektra's warm palm, her nails perfectly painted while Karen's chipped and peeling grey polish, they still fit together perfectly though.

"And I you, Miss Page." She said and Karen knew at that moment, there was no way in hell anyone else was getting this story. Elektra was too smart and too sly for anyone else in the Bulletin, maybe it was considered bragging but this was her story, and she was willing to wait for it to get good.

**Author's Note:**

> oooooooo we bringing back the gay in 2019. check me out on tumblr at check me out on tumblr at ["maggiemurdock"](http://maggiemurdock.tumblr.com/) and on [ patreon](https://www.patreon.com/peachmaisie) !! thank you to my pal corley for coming up with this idea and i hope you all enjoyed!!


End file.
